“But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.”
You know those habits that are hard to kick? When I was young man, me and my coworker were working out early before work in the gym. Feeling good because we worked out, we decided to get a breakfast taco on our way to work. Great idea, I am hungry and we got to eat. The place we chose to get those breakfasts tacos was awesome. Being the largest tacos I had ever seen; I ordered two and a cup of coffee. This taco run became a habit. I ordered two “larger than life” tacos before work even if I did not work out because a man has to eat! Time goes by and my taco habit went straight to my love handles. I could feel myself getting larger month by month but I continued to ignore it until I could no longer excuse the weight gain. I gained 20+ pounds and was headed to the 200 pound club. It was time to kick the “larger than life” tacos.
The Lord told Samuel that it was time to totally destroy the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they came out of Egypt. Saul was the weapon the Lord chose to carry out this task. The instructions from the Lord was to completely wipe them out, man women child and beast, no exceptions. However, the Bible tells us that Saul was unwilling to carry out all the Lord had told him to do.
Verse 9 tells us that Saul kept the best of the sheep and cattle and other things while destroying the despised and weak. The very next verse, the Lord speaks to Samuel and says, “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.” (1 Samuel 15:10-11)
When Samuel confronts Saul about this disobedience we find Saul with lie number one. (verse 15) “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
Samuel presses in and Saul lies again (verse 20-21) “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
Samuel then nails Saul to wall with what the Lord has said… (verse 22-23)
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
Saul is done lying now and kicks into the “yes I have sinned mode” (verse 24) “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.”
Finally, Saul reveals his true motives in verse 30, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” Samuel does go back with Saul but he never again goes to see him. The very last verse in the chapter says that the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Have you fallen into the trap of unwillingness? It starts out with obeying some, a part of, or most of what the Lord has told you to do, but not all of it. You then begin to lie to justify your actions. This leads only to digging the hole even deeper and you don’t even realize it. Confronted by your closest loved ones about your habits, you may confess and tell them you messed up. But deep down, it is only to appease them, not to truly repent. You then fall into a selfish push of fate and forget about repentance all together. You push on with your sin as if to say “I don’t care about what the right thing to do is or what the Lord has told me!” On the other side of your foolishness, your loved ones are helpless and watch you crumble while you go down a hole filled with selfishness and vainness.
The unwillingness to tackle your sinful behaviors has serious consequences. Today, if you are in one of these patterns, it is time to repent and turn to God completely for help. We read what it did to Saul. You may burn and sacrifice some of the good things you are holding onto to appease others around you, but must obey the Lord totally! He delights in obedience. Get to know the Lord and you will find Him to be gracious and filled with love.
From the beginning, He planned your salvation from your sin. Genesis 3:22 says, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat [its fruit], and live [in this fallen, sinful condition] forever.” Right then, the Lord God planned for Jesus to take your sin away at the cross. Cast your crown of unwillingness at the foot of the cross and get to know the savior, Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for taking away all of my sin and shame when you died for me on the cross. I choose today to commit totally to your ways and I lay my habits, sin, and unwillingness down at your feet. Amen.
Let It Go 
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